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Three More ECHL Teams Opt Out for 2020-21 Season

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Dec 7: Official now, the ECHL has announced that the three teams have elected to suspend play for the 2020-21 season. All three are expected back for the 2021-22 season, but players signed to ECHL contracts with the clubs are now free agents.

Dec 6: With eight ECHL teams already having suspended operations due to COVID-19 for the 2020-21 season, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek reports that three more teams have announced they will not play next season, including the Cincinnati Cyclones (Buffalo Sabres affiliate), Idaho Steelheads (Dallas Stars) and the Kalamazoo Wings (Vancouver Canucks).

That makes it 11 out of 26 teams, almost half the league that has bowed out due to the pandemic. Marek also adds that two other teams, the Fort Wayne Komets (Vegas Golden Knights) and the Toledo Walleye (Detroit Red Wings), have not decided their status yet, meaning it could be half the league if both teams suspend their operations. Much of that concern stems from teams’ financial success as much of their financial gains comes from ticket sales, which is a major problem as many cities are not allowing fans to attend sporting events.

The other eight ECHL teams that backed out earlier this year were the Worcester Railers (New York Islanders), Maine Mariners (New York Rangers), Reading Royals (Philadelphia Flyers), Newfoundland Growlers (Toronto Maple Leafs), Adirondack Thunder (New Jersey Devils), Brampton Beast (Ottawa Senators), Atlanta Gladiators (Boston Bruins) and the Norfolk Admirals (no affiliation).

While the ECHL is the “AA” version of hockey teams, it’s a major hit to NHL teams who have used the league as a way to develop prospects who might not be ready for AHL action yet and is especially beneficial to goaltenders who need seasoning out of junior leagues, such as Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. While top prospects are likely to find some work, other young players could have a much more challenging time finding a team they can play for this upcoming season, which will definitely hurt their development.

Tampa Bay Lightning Hire Rob Zettler

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have added an assistant coach to the mix, hiring Rob Zettler to join Jon Cooper’s staff. General manager Julien Brisebois released a short statement about the hire:

Rob brings extensive coaching experience to the Lightning organization and is very familiar with a lot of our players and coaches. We believe our players will benefit from Rob’s wealth of experience, both as a long-time NHL defenseman and as a veteran coach in the NHL.

Zettler, who may be best remembered as an in-your-face defenseman that played nearly 600 NHL games for several different organizations, has been an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs previously. He also served, notably for this position, as the head coach of the Syracuse Crunch as recently as 2016. The Crunch of course is the AHL affiliate of Tampa Bay and where Cooper cut his teeth before taking over the Lightning.

In fact, Zettler took over as head coach of the Crunch from Cooper when the latter was promoted to the job in Tampa Bay during the 2012-13 season. That team, which had been 39-18-8 when Cooper was bumped up, went all the way to the Calder Cup Finals under Zettler, eventually losing despite the efforts of young Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson.

That familiarity and experience will come in handy for Zettler as he joins the NHL staff.

Snapshots: Laine, Sabres, Henriksson, Team USA

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With trade rumors surrounding the Winnipeg Jets and Patrik Laine, there are many wondering if a deal is coming any time soon. However, Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe writes that no matter what happens between the Jets and Laine, nothing will be happening any time soon.

With most teams already at the flatlined salary cap, Wiebe writes that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will likely wait until next offseason when more teams might have the cap room to take on Laine and be able to send the assets that the Jets want back. That’s not to say that the Jets have given up on signing Laine to an extension. The scribe writes that while the two sides have had some issues, he doesn’t believe that it has reached a point of no return and believes an extension is just possible as a trade.

The problem with a contract is that Laine is a rare gem, who has 138 goals in 305 games and is tied for seventh in the league for goals scored since 2016. Throw in the fact that he’s still quite young at age 22 and is just starting to develop into a complete player and it isn’t easy coming up with the parameters of a deal.

  • The Buffalo Sabres could go in two different directions this season with a team having a solid chance to reach the playoffs. However, if the team goes its usual route lately and once again find themselves out of the playoffs near the trade deadline, NBC Sports James O’Brien writes that Buffalo would have a few assets that could net them a solid return. While newly signed forward Taylor Hall has a no movement clause, it still quite plausible that he would waive that if things go south in Buffalo to get a chance at the playoffs, while veteran Eric Staal might also proven to be a valuable asset if the team doesn’t make the playoffs. The 36-year-old has a affordable $3.25MM contract, which could make him attractive down the road. That doesn’t even include players like Rasmus Ristolainen, Carter Hutton and a few others who are already on the team. Needless to say, the hope is the team finally breaks its nine-year playoff drought, but it could turn into a different direction if things don’t go right in Buffalo.
  • Just yesterday, it was announced that Team Sweden would be without 2021 draft prospect William Eklund for the World Junior Championship this year after the 18-year-old tested positive for COVID-19. Now Sweden has taken another hit immediately after that news when Adam Johansson of Expressen.se reports (translation required) that the team’s No. 1 center Karl Henriksson will also have to miss the World Juniors after also testing positive for COVID-19. While the World Juniors don’t start in Edmonton until Dec. 26, the Swedish team is expected to leave for Canada on Dec. 13th, too late for the two young prospects to pass quarantine rules before having to enter the country. Henriksson, a second-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2019, has been centering top prospects Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz in international play and will be a big loss for Sweden.
  • Sticking with the World Juniors, Team USA has lost a few prospects as a Boston University trio will not be attending the World Juniors training camp due to COVID-19 protocols, according to New England Hockey Journal’s Jeff Cox. The U.S. team will have to do without forward Robert Mastrosimone, a second-round pick in 2019 by the Detroit Red Wings; defenseman Alex Vlasic, a second-round pick in 2019 by the Chicago Blackhawks; and goaltender Drew Commesso, a second-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks this year.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Current Cap Hit: $72,274,125 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Emil Bemstrom (two years, $925K)
D Andrew Peeke (one year, $917K)
F Alexandre Texier (one year, $898K)
F Liam Foudy (two years, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Bemstrom: $850K
Peeke: $850K
Foudy: $375K
Total: $2.08MM

Despite not having brought in much young talent the past few years in the draft, the Blue Jackets do still have a number of young players who could make a quick impact on their franchise. Bemstrom, a fourth-round pick from 2017, came over from Sweden last year at the age of 20 and played in 56 games, scoring 10 goals in his rookie season. He should continue to force his way into the more and more minutes and the speedy forward could eventually develop into a 25-goal scorer. Texier is another quick-moving forward who could develop into a future core piece of the team. Despite dealing with a back injury, Texier scored six goals in 36 games as a 20-year-old. Foudy played most of last season in the OHL, but did get a chance to appear in two games for Columbus, but the 2018 first-rounder is also a candidate to challenge for playing time with the Blue Jackets next season.

Peeke, on the other hand, looks to already be penciled into the Blue Jackets’ blueline. With the departures of Ryan Murray and Markus Nutivaara, Peeke will get every opportunity to claim one of the third pairing openings. The 22-year-old looked impressive in 22 appearances last year and could eventually work his way towards a top-four spot.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Brandon Dubinsky ($5.85MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($5.5MM, UFA)
D David Savard ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Riley Nash ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Oliver Bjorkstrand ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Mikko Koivu ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Mikhail Grigorenko ($1.2MM, UFA)
F Kevin Stenlund ($874K, RFA)

The Blue Jackets have quite a bit of salary coming off the books next season. First off the list will be Dubinsky who has scored just 12 goals since the 2017 season as he has been dealing with a wrist injury and recently general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he wasn’t likely to ever play professional hockey again. That frees up a lot of cap room. Foligno is a different matter, however, as the 33-year-old may have seen a slight decline in his play recently, but the team will likely do what it can to retain their captain, who has been a key figure for the team both on and off the ice, even if he may be moving to the bottom-six of the lineup in the near future.

The team will also have to make a decision on Savard, who is one of the team’s top defensive players. The 30-year-old doesn’t help much offensively, but is a minutes eater who has been a key piece to the team’s top-four.

On the restricted front, the team’s top RFA next offseason will be Bjorkstrand, who has scored 20 or more goals for two straight seasons and is starting to come into his own. The 25-year-old posted 21 goals in 49 games last year, on pace for a potential 35-goal season had an ankle injury and the pandemic not cut into a chunk of his season.

Kekalainen also took a couple fliers, signing veteran Koivu and KHL star Grigorenko to one-year deals. Koivu should provide the team with key leadership and be able to help out the team’s bottom-six and penalty kill, while the Blue Jackets are hoping that Grigorenko, a former lottery pick in 2012, might be able to make it work in North America on his second attempt. The Russian, now 26, could never find his niche in the NHL and returned to the KHL, where he tallied 38 goals and 93 points combined in his last two seasons for CSKA Moscow.

Two Years Remaining

D Seth Jones ($5.4MM, UFA)
F Max Domi ($5.3MM, UFA)
D Zach Werenski ($5MM, UFA)
G Elvis Merzlikins ($4MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner ($3.75MM, UFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($2.8MM, UFA)
D Dean Kukan ($1.65MM, UFA)
D Scott Harrington ($1.63MM, UFA)
F Eric Robinson ($975K, UFA)
F Nathan Gerbe ($750K, UFA)
D Gabriel Carlsson ($725K, RFA)

The Blue Jackets have quite a few key players hitting unrestricted free agency in a couple of years and will have to find a way to sign some of them to long-term deals. At the top of that list are their two star defensemen in Jones and Werenski. Jones has been one of the most dominant players on the team’s stifling defense and plays quite a key role on offense as well. The blueliner scored six goals and 30 points in just 56 games, but was sorely missed when he went down with an ankle injury in February. His partner, Werenski stepped it up, especially on offense last year, breaking the 20-goal mark for the first time and in just 63 games last year. The two together form one of the top defensive lines in hockey. Both will require quite a large sum of money to re-sign, but the Blue Jackets look like they should have money to spare to sign both of them.

Columbus also acquired Domi from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for disgruntled forward Josh Anderson and now have two years to decide if the 25-year-old forward can make the most of the next two seasons. Domi scored 18 goals with Arizona in his rookie year, but then failed to break 10 goals for the next two seasons. Then he was traded to Montreal where he put up 28 goals in his first season there only to post 17 goals the following season and fall out of favor. Now on his third team, the Blue Jackets hope that Domi can put it all together and be the team’s No. 2 center long-term. The team will also have to decide whether Jenner is worth holding onto. After scoring 30 goals in the 2015-16 season, the 27-year-old has seen his offense decline almost every year as he posted just 11 goals last year.

The team may also be forced to make a decision in net in two years as well. The Blue Jackets got a real boost when both Korpisalo, the previous year’s backup, and Merzlikins, the team’s top goalie prospect took over for Sergei Bobrovsky only to watch both flourish. With both locked in for another two years, the team has time to decide which one to keep as neither are making too much money. Although there was talk during the season that Columbus might be willing to move one of its netminders for some offense.

Three Years Remaining

F Gustav Nyquist ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Vladislav Gavrikov ($2.8MM, UFA)

Nyquist was brought in last offseason to offset the losses of Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel. The 31-year-old put up 15 goals and 42 points in 70 games last season, which is solid for a middle-six forward, but the team is hoping that can be on pace for better numbers next season. Kekalainen brought in Gavrikov last  year on a one-year entry-level deal and that paid off as he quickly earned a bottom pairing role for the season, using his size and defensive abilities to his advantage. He fared well when pressed into a top-four role and was rewarded in the offseason with a three-year extension and likely will take a bigger role next year with Murray gone. Read more

Ottawa Senators Plan To Be Buyers At Trade Deadline, Beyond

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The Ottawa Senators have been dwelling at or near the bottom of the Atlantic Division for several years now as owner Eugene Melnyk has taken a team that was one win away from going to the Stanley Cup in 2017 and has torn it down piece by piece, selling off practically every asset in on its team. Interestingly enough, if you look back to that 2017 team, only two players remain still on the roster from that squad three years ago — Colin White, who played just two games, and forward Nick Paul, who played one.

However, after posting a combined 82-124-29 record over the last three years, Melnyk spoke to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun on the day of the team’s 30th anniversary, claiming the team is now heading in the right direction and are well on their way to a being a Stanley Cup contender.

“We have turned the corner. We just now need to execute on what we have,” Melnyk said. “This is the team, with what we have right now, I believe can win a Stanley Cup already, and that’s without adding some veterans, which we plan to do.”

Ottawa, which has progressively moved all of its stars over the past three years, which includes a list of Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, amongst others. The team then cut ties with a number of veterans this year, including goaltender Craig Anderson and forward Bobby Ryan before going out and signing a number of free agents in the offseason, bringing in Evgenii Dadonov, Alex Galchenyuk, Erik Gudbranson to complement their youth movement and even added a few others via trade, including goaltender Matt Murray.

Melnyk said in the interview that the team intends to continue to be active at the trade deadline, but no longer as sellers.

“We’ll be a team that’s active at the trade deadline and not as sellers, but as buyers, just like we used to be,” Melnyk said. “If you look at my track record on spending on players, we were always up there. We were never at the top, but we were always right there or around the centre. Now, we’re going to stay somewhere in the centre, depending on where it’s at. Our budgets are always somewhere around $70 million, which is in the centre.”

In those three years of struggles, the Senators have put together a pool of impressive young talent, including a few top lottery selections over the past few years such as Brady Tkachuk (2018), as well as Tim Stuetzle and Jake Sanderson, both top-five picks in this year’s draft. The team has accumulated quite a few picks in the draft too, including six picks in the top 61 this past year and have four more picks in the first two rounds of 2021. With many of their young talents either ready or quite close to being ready to contribute, the Senators could make quite a jump in the standings in the next couple of years, especially if the owner is willing to spend.

Melnyk already made sure to lock up 23-year-old Thomas Chabot to an eight-year, $64MM extension last year and Tkachuk could easily be the next in line to sign an extension within the next year as he will be a restricted free agent after the 2020-21 season.

Maxim Lapierre Announces Retirement

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Maxim Lapierre, who played 614 games over his NHL career for five different teams, has announced his retirement, according to a report from NHL.com.

The 35-year-old forward played 10 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was known as a  physical bottom-six player who spent his first five seasons with the Canadiens. His best season was back in 2008-09 when he scored 15 goals. He was a major factor in the playoffs for the 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks team. He was acquired at the trade deadline and produced three goals and 66 penalty minutes to help the Canucks come within one game of winning a Stanley Cup Championship. His last NHL season was with the Penguins during the 2014-15 season. In total, Lapierre scored 65 goals and 139 points and 586 penalty minutes.

After his contract in Pittsburgh ran out, Lapierre, a Montreal native, signed a one-year deal to play for Modo in the SHL overseas. He then followed that up playing four years for Lugano of the NLA. Last season, he joined the Berlin Polar Bears in the DEL. He did help Team Canada to the bronze medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Snapshots: Tentative Schedule, Exhibition Games, Players, Eklund

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While nothing is set in stone about the forthcoming NHL season, the makings of a season format seem to be falling into place. Yesterday’s news that the league is targeting a January 15 start and a 56-game schedule provided some optimism that firm numbers may be coming into focus and the reality of a 2020-21 with it. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Chris Johnston have followed up that report with some speculative notes on how training camp, the regular season, and the postseason could play out. They have heard that a January 15 start date would mean that the seven non-playoff teams from 2019-20 would open camp on December 28, while the other 24 teams would start up on January 1. This isn’t exactly the extended camp that the non-playoff teams had hoped for, but with the Christmas holiday also playing a key role in negotiations from the players’ side, there is little wiggle room between starting after December 25 and allowing all teams enough time for a sufficient camp prior to January 15. Friedman and Johnston believe that a January 15 start and 56-game schedule would result in a May 1 end to the regular season, with room to make up games if needed. The postseason would then run through the first week of July, again with some flexibility for make-up delays before a likely late July Entry Draft and Expansion Draft and August 1 start to the new league year and free agency. None of these dates are official of course, but they do report that some players and teams have been notified that they should expect a January 15 start date and to be back in North America and in quarantine this month. As for the actual structure of the league and of travel and game play this season, temporary realignment seems very likely, especially if it will allow teams to play in their home cities and arenas, which is the preference of players and clubs alike. However, the concept of bubbles or hub cities is still very much on the table if that is the only way to ensure the safety of all players and staff. Friedman and Johnston also note that there is some optimism that with this delayed start to the season and the progress being made on a COVID-19 vaccine that there could be fans in attendance, regardless of the format, by the end of the regular season and in the playoffs.

  • While everyone is hopeful that these plans work out and are excited for the return of NHL hockey, don’t expect to see any game action until the actual anticipated regular season start date of January 15. Friedman and Johnston report that there will not likely be exhibition “pre-season” games during training camp. This can likely be explained by a hesitancy to potentially expose players and personnel to COVID for a meaningless game. Although starting the season cold will be difficult, it is a a safer option. Teams will have to rely on inter-squad scrimmages for preparation.
  • While logistics coming together for this coming season, with agreement on both sides, is great to see, there is still a financial negotiation going on as well. The owners are hoping to adjust the values of salary deferral and escrow just recently agreed upon in the CBA extension, but so far the players have been resistant to any change. The Philadelphia Flyers’ James van Riemsdyk, the team’s NHLPA rep, tells The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi that the players feel the impact of the Coronavirus on 2020-21 profits was fully considered when the CBA was agreed upon and the players do not feel that they owe the owners any more than they have already relinquished. This is a sentiment that has been echoed by many when it comes to the league’s proposal of financial changes. On a positive note, van Riemsdyk says that the players are happy with their side of the CBA and like what they have heard so far about a “return to play” plan. He states that the players are “ready to roll” with the new season once the owners agree to uphold the CBA.
  • While the NHL is doing their best to combat COVID and get back to play, the virus continues to impact every corner of the hockey world. Leagues and teams on multiple continents have paused their seasons, players, coaches, and staff have been infected, and opportunities to watch and play the game have been few and far between with restrictions on facilities and group gatherings. The latest newsworthy COVID impact comes out of Sweden. European hockey insider Uffe Bodin reports that 2021 draft prospect William Eklund has tested positive for the virus and as a result may not participate in the upcoming World Junior Championship in Edmonton. Eklund is considered by many to be a potential first-round pick in next year’s draft, which has been helped along by a breakout season in the SHL. His absence will be a major loss for Team Sweden and will also be a missed opportunity for NHL scouts. The talented forward will simply have to work to get healthy and continue to show what he can do in the SHL this year.

 

Minor Transactions: 12/05/20

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With a mix of some leagues currently in action, others preparing to start, some postponing play, and others still trying to sort it all out, there has been a constant stream of minor moves with players jumping from league to league via signing, loan, reassignment, and more. Today has been no exception, as a number of players are on the move:

  • With the ECHL planning to get underway next week, some NHL and AHL players have begun to be reassigned to the “AA” level to get a jumpstart on their seasons and many more moves are likely to come over the next few days. For now, the Boston Bruins have made the decision on a pair of young players, assigning goaltender Kyle Keyser and forward Matt Filipe to the Jacksonville Icemen, the Bruins’ temporary affiliate for this season. Keyser, 21, saw very limited action last year in his first pro season but the former OHL standout is looking to prove with his  play this year that he too belongs in the “goalie of the future” conversation with top prospects Dan Vladar and Jeremy Swayman. Filipe, 22, is set to make his pro debut after signing with the Bruins out of nearby Northeastern University. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect plays with size and a nose for the net, which served him well as a reliable producer in the NCAA.
  • A pair of Oshawa Generals stars are getting their seasons started overseas. With the OHL not getting started until at least February, the Generals announced that NHL prospects Ty Tullio (EDM) and Allan McShane (MTL) have been loaned to Slovakia. The pair will join MHK Liptovsky Mikulas of the Slovakian Extraliga until the time that they are either recalled by their NHL clubs or by Oshawa for training camp. McShane and Tullio finished second and third respectively in scoring last season for the Generals, with 67 and 66 points apiece.
  • Although Finland’s hockey seasons are currently on pause, the Dallas Stars do not plan to recall top prospect Ty Dellandrea right away, according to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. Dellandrea has been playing with the Liiga’s JYP this past month, recording three points in six games, and will continue practicing with the team for the time being. The Liiga is tentatively scheduled to return to action on December 20, but that start date is not guaranteed. With the NHL hoping to be up and running by mid-January with two weeks of training camp beforehand, Dellandrea may still be recalled before he can play with JYP again. The Stars hope that Dellandrea can compete for a roster spot this year and will want to make sure that he is in attendance for day one of training camp.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Carolina Hurricanes

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Carolina Hurricanes

Current Cap Hit: $80,567,739 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Martin Necas (two years, $863K)
F Andrei Svechnikov (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses

Necas: $537.5K
Svechnikov: $2.65MM
Total: $3.1875MM

Svechnikov didn’t waste much time becoming an integral part of Carolina’s attack to the point where GM Don Waddell said one of his top priorities this offseason would be trying to sign the winger to an extension.  It would come with a significant price tag as he’d undoubtedly be looking for $7MM or more on a long-term deal to sign now, even in this marketplace.  It’s hard to see both sides hitting a number they like and accordingly, a bridge contract may be the end result, something Waddell has previously suggested. Necas was eased in much slower than Svechnikov (he became a regular in his third professional season with the first two sliding) and the patience the Hurricanes showed was certainly wise as he was a capable middle-six forward in his first full campaign.  If he can emerge as a full-time option in their top six, he could be a candidate to bypass a bridge contract although what happens with other players on their current roster could force their hand.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Ryan Dzingel ($3.375MM, UFA)
F Warren Foegele ($2.15MM, RFA)
D Dougie Hamilton ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($2MM, UFA)
F Brock McGinn ($2.1MM, UFA)
G Petr Mrazek ($3.4MM, UFA)
G James Reimer ($3.125MM, UFA)
D Joakim Ryan ($700K, UFA)

Dzingel was brought in to be a capable secondary scorer and wound up signing what looked like a good value contract at the time.  What a difference a year can make.  He struggled to find his footing offensively and it got to the point where he started out the playoffs as a healthy scratch.  With minimal roster turnover, he may not have a better opportunity this coming season so he appears to be a candidate that will be taking a sizable cut in pay.  McGinn and Martinook are quality defensive forwards but consistent offense isn’t their calling card.  These types of role players have been hit hard this offseason and it wouldn’t be surprising to see both of them have to take a dip as well to stick around.  Foegele took a step forward in his production last season though his physical play took a step backwards.  If he can bring that element back and maintain his output, he becomes the type of power forward that demand always outweighs supply and players like that often do well in arbitration which he’ll be eligible for.

Hamilton is the other big offseason priority that Waddell has frequently spoken about and for good reason.  For years, he has shown flashes of dominance but the consistency wasn’t always there.  Last season, it was and he appeared to be on his way towards a Norris-caliber season before a broken fibula ended his season prematurely and to make matters worse, a summer training injury stopped him from being ready for the start of the playoffs although he did eventually make it back.  When he’s on, he has played like a number one defender and he’ll want to be paid like one to sign now.  Alex Pietrangelo’s $8.8MM price tag is the new benchmark in this market and while Hamilton won’t be able to get quite that much, something around $1MM lower is achievable.  Ryan logged more than 19 minutes a game in limited action with Los Angeles a year ago but is likely to be the seventh defender, a position that Carolina will likely look to keep as cheap as possible with some big-ticket contracts on the horizon.

The Hurricanes have faced plenty of questions with their choice to go with the tandem of Mrazek and Reimer instead of a more proven option but they received a decent performance from the pair a year ago and with the quality of their back end, not bringing in a high-priced starter makes some sense.  Neither netminder has made a strong case for a big raise on their next contracts, nor are they facing a big hit in pay either.  As a result, with Carolina’s financial structure, it seems quite possible that the two could be brought back a year from now at a similar price if they can’t land a more proven starter.

Two Years Remaining

D Haydn Fleury ($1.3MM, RFA)
F Nino Niederreiter ($5.25MM, UFA)
F Vincent Trocheck ($4.75MM, UFA)

Niederreiter was a great fit in his part season with Carolina after being acquired from Minnesota in 2019 but his first full year didn’t go as well.  He’s a middle-six winger on this team and that’s a bit of a high price tag for someone in that role.  However, as he showed after being traded, he is capable of reaching top-line production at times.  Trocheck’s acquisition from Florida was largely surprising in that the cost to get him was low.  He’s coming off of a couple of quieter years but if they want to continue to ease Necas in and have him on the wing Trocheck could slot in on the second line to start the season and would represent good value in that spot.

Fleury hasn’t quite lived up to his draft billing yet (seventh overall in 2014) but he spent all of last season with the Hurricanes, albeit in a limited role.  However, when the playoffs came, he was a regular in the lineup.  That helped earn him another short-term contract and if he can work his way into a full-time spot in the lineup, he’ll be in good shape for a small raise two years from now.  Having said that, his earnings upside will be limited since he’s going to have a hard time moving any higher than third on the depth chart on the left side of their back end.

Three Years Remaining

F Jesper Fast ($2MM, UFA)
D Jake Gardiner ($4.05MM, UFA)
F Jordan Staal ($6MM, UFA)

Staal’s offensive production has dipped sharply the last couple of seasons to the point where he is best utilized as a checker in the bottom six.  That puts his price tag on the high side and he’ll be hard-pressed to come close to that rate when he hits the open market at 35.  Fast was one of the better bargains from this free agent class.  He’s a good fit on the third line but can move up when needed and getting that for the price that they’re paying fourth liners was some nice work by Waddell.

Gardiner’s deal looked like a possible steal when he signed it last year but no one is calling it that now.  He struggled considerably in the early going with the Hurricanes last season and didn’t put up his usual level of production to help offset some of his defensive struggles.  The end result was him being on the third pairing and more or less right on the fringe of being a healthy scratch.  This is a contract they’d undoubtedly like to move (which would open up a spot for promising youngster Jake Bean) but they’ll have quite a difficult time doing so.

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Islanders Expected To Pursue Bridge Contract For Mathew Barzal

at CDT | by 1 Comment

One of the more interesting RFA cases is Islanders center Mathew Barzal.  He has been their leading scorer in each of his first three NHL seasons and GM Lou Lamoriello has publicly stated any offer sheet would be matched in an effort to dissuade other teams from even attempting to go that route.  However, cap space is still a big factor, even after trading blueliner Devon Toews to Colorado and the recent announcement that Johnny Boychuk’s playing career has come to an end (making him eligible for LTIR).

Accordingly, Newsday’s Andrew Gross notes that the industry expectation for Barzal is that he will sign a bridge deal, a two-year or three-year pact around $7MM per season.  That would still represent a substantial raise from the $925K base pay he earned on his entry-level deal (which included his signing bonus) and give both sides a chance to re-assess the financial landscape before he reaches UFA eligibility.  On top of that, it also gives New York a chance to determine if the 23-year-old is capable of getting back to his rookie-season output of 85 points or if he’s likely to check in below that as he did in the past two years where he had 62 and 60 points.

If that is indeed the route they go, there are two big questions to be answered.  The first is the structure of the deal in terms of how much to backload it, particularly with the new qualifying offer rules in place.  Now, the required tender is the lower of 120% of the AAV or whatever the salary on the final season winds up being.  Even if the AAV of this deal winds up near that $7MM target, it’s quite likely that the qualifying offer will be in the $8MM range.

The other is how to fit this in on the cap.  Yes, Boychuk is going to wind up on LTIR but there is a timing factor at stake.  If the Islanders can wait to put him there until the start of the season, they’ll have some more in-season flexibility to work with.

As things stand, they have roughly $3.9MM in cap room, per CapFriendly and that’s with a minimum-sized roster.  If they want to get this deal done and be in cap and roster compliance before placing Boychuk on LTIR, there is going to have to be some roster juggling.  Some high-priced veterans (such as Andrew Ladd, Thomas Hickey, and Leo Komarov) could be waived in camp and sent down, freeing up $1.075MM each in cap space before having to offset that amount by a minimum-salaried recall.  Expected goalie Ilya Sorokin (who is waiver exempt) could also go down and be temporarily replaced by a lower-salaried netminder on their season-opening roster before those transactions were reversed.  Even more of those moves may be required to pull that particular strategy off.

Assuming they can do so, they could utilize almost all of Boychuk’s contract in LTIR room (the cap room freed up is the amount of the contract minus existing cap space at the time of placement, not automatically the full value of the contract) and it appears that they’ve already done some of that spending.  Gross adds that deals are believed to be in place for goalie Cory Schneider (which had been reported back in October), defenseman Andy Greene, and winger Matt Martin.  That money can’t be committed until they get Barzal signed and Boychuk transferred with the latter move happening right at the beginning of the season.  As a result, it’s probable that those veterans will be in camp on PTO deals only.

Bridge contracts are often viewed as the simple solution but in Barzal’s case, there will be a lot of moving parts to this one with several veterans being affected by what he eventually signs for and when the deal is done.

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